Louisiana Lawmakers Weighing Boost to Driver’s License Fees

Louisiana lawmakers are considering whether to raise driver's license fees by $1 and taking that estimated $2.4 million raised over five years and putting it into a veterans assistance fund.

The measure was presented by Pineville Rep. Chris Hazel and the House overwhelmingly supported with an 81-14 vote. However, the idea ran into some concerns Thursday in the Senate transportation committee.

While the senators said they want to support veterans, they're unsure about charging drivers a fee that doesn't pay for a service tied to that fee. They called that a way to get around taxes and didn't think passing costs on to drivers was the best way to raise money for veterans.

Rather than jettison the bill, senators recommended the bill be diverted to the Senate Finance Committee.